


nothing more important than love

by calmthestorms



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Post-Time Skip, Relationship Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28296924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calmthestorms/pseuds/calmthestorms
Summary: “I’m home,” Koutarou announces grandly, swinging the door open.There’s no response.He wilts.There’s a note on the kitchen counter from Keiji. Tetsurou, Koutarou, had an emergency meeting for deadlines this month. I’ll be back late. Go ahead and have dinner. The note is smudged and scrawled with blue ink, rendering some of the characters almost indecipherable. Clearly, Keiji had been in a rush.This is one of Keiji’s quirks—he likes handwritten notes instead of texts. Koutarou and Tetsurou both love them, something about their partner’s handwriting adding weight to his presence in his messages. But now, staring at the scrap of paper in the cold of their apartment, Koutarou feels that weight like lead in his stomach. At least with a text, he could have prepared for yet another of Keiji’s absences on his way home. Now, he just feels cold and disappointed, a feeling that’s becoming terrifyingly familiar.In which being young professionals and balancing a relationship is hard, and Koutarou, Keiji, and Tetsurou really, really miss each other.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63
Collections: Haikyuu Secret Santa 2020





	nothing more important than love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [joshllyman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshllyman/gifts).



> This is for kou for the Haikyuu Secret Santa IV on Tumblr! I really hope you enjoy this!! I didn't realize how much I liked this OT3 until I read your fics and wrote one of my own :D

“I’m home,” Koutarou announces grandly, swinging the door open.

There’s no response.

He wilts.

There’s a note on the kitchen counter from Keiji. _Tetsurou, Koutarou, had an emergency meeting for deadlines this month. I’ll be back late. Go ahead and have dinner._ The note is smudged and scrawled with blue ink, rendering some of the characters almost indecipherable. Clearly, Keiji had been in a rush.

This is one of Keiji’s quirks—he likes handwritten notes instead of texts. Koutarou and Tetsurou both love them, something about their partner’s handwriting adding weight to his presence in his messages. But now, staring at the scrap of paper in the cold of their apartment, Koutarou feels that weight like lead in his stomach. At least with a text, he could have prepared for yet another of Keiji’s absences on his way home. Now, he just feels cold and disappointed, a feeling that’s becoming terrifyingly familiar.

“Tetsu,” he calls hopefully, traipsing through the rest of the apartment. He pushes the bedroom door open and sighs through his nose at what he sees.

Tetsurou is sprawled backwards on the bed, dead asleep, an empty, crusted bowl of what used to be instant ramen on the nightstand. He’s still in his suit, socked feet hanging off the foot of the bed. Koutarou pads in silently and watches his partner sleep for a few long moments. He strokes the hair softly off Tetsurou’s forehead. His partner is clearly exhausted, the shadows under his eyes that have been there for weeks now even deeper.

“Lots and lots of meetings,” he had told Koutarou when they had last had the chance to speak for more than the few harried moments between meetings and games and editor meetings, which was during breakfast around—god, two weeks ago. “We have some new ad campaigns planned for the national team. You’ll be hearing about it soon.”

Koutarou had laughed. “Make sure to get me lots of time in front of the camera, okay?”

Tetsurou’s grin turned sharp, gaze raking Koutarou up and down lazily. “Of course. The camera loves you.”

“Is the camera the only one?” Koutarou teased, ducking in to kiss Tetsurou, and then they hadn’t talked for a while after that, until Tetsurou had to dash off for work and Koutarou to practice.

Keiji had been away then, too. He had left early, stealing two quick, not-enough kisses before Tetsurou and Koutarou had even had their morning coffee.

Koutarou sighs. Somehow, he had expected that as a pro volleyball player, he would be the one with the worst schedule, what with away games and travelling for different ads and promotions. He hadn’t expected Keiji and Tetsurou’s workloads to be just as bad. The three of them haven’t been in the same room for more than fifteen minutes in over a _month_.

For a second, Koutarou contemplates waking his partner up, and the both of them calling Keiji and having a proper conversation. He discards it almost immediately. Tetsurou needs his rest, and Keiji doesn’t like to be disturbed in the middle of his work aside from texts.

“Hey,” he whispers, inelegantly prodding Tetsurou in the chest. His boyfriend groans, swiping at him weakly like a kitten. The image makes Koutarou smile a little. “Come on, Tetsu, get up. You need to change.”

With a lot of pushing, Koutarou gets his boyfriend into sleep clothes. Tetsurou falls back asleep almost immediately, breathing deep and steady. Koutarou grabs the bowl off the nightstand and deposits in the sink before making himself a quick, healthy dinner.

_will u b back soon?_ Koutarou texts Keiji, shoveling chicken into his mouth.

_Not sure when,_ Keiji texts back fifteen minutes later. _You can go to bed._

Koutarou’s heart sinks. He forces himself to finish the last few bites of his meal before replying. His thumbs hover over the keyboard. _ok. love u so much!!!_

And then, on an aching, heartsore impulse, he texts, _miss u._

He takes a shower and heads to the bedroom, sliding into bed next to Tetsurou. Before he settles, he checks his phone. No response from Keiji.

Tetsurou doesn’t stir as Koutarou slides into his loose embrace. He’s warm and comforting, and Koutarou burrows into him, tucking his face into the crook of his neck. He feels an uncharacteristic prick of tears at his eyes and breathes in and out deeply, trying not to dwell on the unease and loneliness in his chest.

_It’ll be okay_ , he thinks as he drifts off to sleep. _This is just a busy time. We’ll be okay_.

When Koutarou wakes up to his alarm the next morning, Tetsurou is gone, the blankets tucked around him but cool. From the indents on the other side of the bed, Keiji had gotten home late and slept a little, and then left before Koutarou even woke up.

Koutarou stares up at the ceiling and tries very hard not to cry. He fails.

\--

If Tetsurou’s phone rings _one more time_ , he’s going to smash it against the wall, he thinks as he viciously jabs the end call button on his screen. He leans back in his chair, rubbing his temples in a vain attempt to alleviate the vicious pounding in them. Even with the lights in the office dimmed, his head and body ache. Lack of sleep and overtime hours will do that to someone, he supposes.

He swipes through his messages with Koutarou and Keiji, feeling himself starting to frown. Koutarou has a get-together with his team out of the city this week, and Keiji has been out almost every day with his work for the special issues his magazine has coming out next month. Between his partners’ jobs and his, Tetsurou hasn’t had a moment to spend with them.

His heart pangs. Koutarou has noticed, Tetsurou knows, and it’s been hitting him hard. Tetsurou has tried to alleviate it a little, trying to find time for kisses and sex and sharing meals when he can with both of them, but it hasn’t been _enough_. They’re unravelling at the seams, and Tetsurou bites his lip at the sudden panic that overtakes him. _This isn’t sustainable_ , he thinks. 

His phone rings, Nakamura’s name flashing on the screen. Tetsurou fights back the urge to scream and picks up reluctantly. He can’t let his boss’s calls go to voicemail, no matter how much he wants to.

“Hello, Nakamura-san,” he says shortly. He’s being brusque, he knows, but his boss and his team have been hounding him to approve every single decision they’ve made, and Tetsurou is getting sick of it.

“Kuroo-san,” his boss replies. “We just received the latest posters by the design team. We’ve sent the mock-ups to your email; could you take a quick look? We just want to make sure we have the national team depicted to the best of our ability, and you know many of them well.”

Tetsurou sighs. His personal connections to the Monster Generation often leave him taking care of tasks like this. “Give me a second,” he says, switching his phone to speaker and pulling up the posters on his computer.

He can’t help a proud smile as he sees the signature on many of the posters, Koutarou’s, Hinata’s, and Kageyama’s included. “Well done, Yacchan,” he murmurs.

“Yes, Yachi-san has done a wonderful job, hasn’t she?” Nakamura says. “She’s been a brilliant addition to the team.”

“Yes, she has,” Tetsurou replies. “These look wonderful, Nakamura-san. I think they’re ready to go.’

“Wonderful. Thank you,” his boss says.

Tetsurou pauses. “Wait,” he blurts out. “Nakamura-san, could I discuss something with you quickly?”

“Yes?”

Tetsurou pulls up his shared calendar with Keiji and Koutarou quickly, flipping ahead to find the next period of time Koutarou and Keiji are free. Predictably, there isn’t a day when Keiji is fully free, but an off-season break starts for Koutarou next week. Tetsurou could take a few days off then, surely. 

To his surprise, when he asks, Nakamura laughs. “Of course,” he says. “In fact, I think you can take the whole week off. I know you’ve been working very hard lately, Kuroo-san. You deserve the break.”

“Thank you so much,” he breathes. “I truly appreciate it, Nakamura-san.”

“No problem. Bye, Kuroo-san.”

Tetsurou leans back and lets out a loud whoop. He pulls out his phone and opens his messages with Keiji, thinking before shooting two messages off.

_i took next week off work, kou’s offseason brk is next week, you shd take time off too._

_we miss you. i miss you._

\--

_miss u._

Keiji can’t stop looking at the message from Koutarou. Even a week later, it’s a constant, nagging thought in the back of his mind, and more than once, Udai-san has caught him lost in thought. _miss u_ , Koutarou had said, and it had been—different. Not as flippant or light-hearted as usual, but heavy and weighted and…sad? Is he overthinking it? Tetsurou hasn’t said anything, but then again, when was the last time he and Tetsurou had even really talked?

“Akaashi-san?” Keiji startles slightly.

“Sorry,” he responds for the third time this meeting. Udai waves a hand.

“It’s okay,” he says, peering at Keiji. “You seem tired. Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” Keiji says, shaking his head to clear it. He’s exhausted, but that tiredness is an old, _old_ friend at this point, and it’s nothing he can’t handle. “Thank you for asking. Now, as I was saying, about this next chapter—”

“Akaashi-san,” Udai interrupts, brow furrowing. “I know we have those special issues coming out next month, but when was the last time you went home and had a proper rest?”

“Udai-sensei—" Keiji starts, but Udai shakes his head.

“Look,” he says, “I know I’m not really one to talk when it comes to rest and self-care, but I’ve been seeing way too much of you in the last few weeks. Have you spent any time with Kuroo-san and Bokuto-san?”

Keiji squints at him, blankly. Udai’s face goes a little red from embarrassment, but he holds his gaze, and Keiji sighs. Udai’s more than just a client; he’s a friend, too, and Keiji should take his question seriously.

So he does, thinking about all the late nights and early mornings that he’s had to do in the last few weeks. How the times he _is_ home coincides with Koutarou’s away games or Tetsurou’s meetings, and how tired they’ve all been lately. How he hasn’t really talked with his partners in weeks, or kissed them, or done anything really meaningful beyond what he can squeeze in the scant hours he’s home and they’re all awake and there.

How much he misses them. The pain strikes him sharply then, and he takes a deep breath.

_miss u_ , Koutarou’s text had read, and Keiji knows he read it right.

Udai’s gaze is sympathetic. “I know work has been busy, Akaashi-san. But take it from an overworked mangaka.” He grins sheepishly. “You really, really need a break.”

Keiji stares at him, lost for words. His phone buzzes, and he unlocks it to see two new messages from Tetsurou.

_i took next week off work, kou’s offseason brk is next week, you shd take time off too._

_we miss you. i miss you._

“You’re right,” Keiji says. He looks up and smiles widely, feeling something lift off his shoulders at his admission. “I’ll be off next week. Maybe the next two weeks. Thank you for the advice, Udai-sensei.”

“Great!” Udai says. “Does this mean I can go?”

“No,” Keiji says, smirking at how Udai slumps exaggeratedly. “Now, this next chapter is interesting, but I wasn’t sure about whether these panels are really necessary…”

Keiji calls to take his time off at the end of the day. When he gets home that night, despite the late hour, he’s feeling the best he’s felt in weeks.

\--

Koutarou opens the door gently, letting his bags fall to the ground. He sighs deeply. “I’m home,” he says half-heartedly, more out of habit than anything else.

“Welcome home,” two voices chorus. Koutarou startles, his eyes going wide.

“Tetsu? Keiji?” he shrieks, running into the living room. His partners wave at him, entwined on the couch in front of the TV.

Koutarou can’t help it. He bursts into tears and launches himself on top of them, peppering their faces with kisses.

“I’ve missed you so much!” he wails, pressing himself as close as he can to them. Keiji and Tetsurou hug him back tight, and when he looks, their eyes are teary, too. “Oh, no, don’t cry!”

“I can’t help it, Kou,” Tetsurou says, his voice thick. Keiji buries his face into Tetsurou’s shoulder, nodding in agreement, and Tetsurou drops a kiss on his head.

“I missed you both so much,” Keiji mumbles. “I’m sorry I didn’t make time for you both.”

“Me too,” Tetsurou says. “To both things.”

“My schedule was busy, too,” Koutarou says. “It wasn’t just you!”

They break out into watery laughs. “It’s not any of our faults, but let’s never be apart like this again,” Koutarou warbles. “I can’t stand it.”

His partners nod. They still haven’t let go of each other. “We have the next week off, the both of us,” Tetsurou says softly. “It’s not enough time, I know, but—”

“But we’ll make it work,” Keiji says solidly. His face is red, glasses smeared with tears, far less composed than usual. Koutarou kisses him soundly, long and deep, and then does the same with Tetsurou. He watches warmly as his partners exchange a kiss, and then he wedges himself between them, turning to the TV.

“What are we watching?” he asks.

Tetsurou lights up, and he devolves into a ranting explanation of the newest movie Kenma had recommended to him, which is paused on a blurry image of someone screaming. Keiji jumps in occasionally to correct him, amusement twisting his lips.

“You know what, let’s just start it over,” Tetsurou declares, and they do.

Koutarou settles back in between his partners, the loneliness a distant, quickly-fading memory, and basks, utterly content.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Happy holidays, everyone!


End file.
